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The article @ the URL mentions that other religions were covered, presumably in a manner similar to that for Islam. What were the other religions? What was done in class to represent their message? Without that information, it's hard to estimate if copying out the shahada & approximating a burqa (for girls only, I assume) is a reasonable thing to do.
I don't think you can call copying out calligraphy writing (from a US POV) - judging by the sample shown, the students didn't come close to making a good copy, nor even a reasonable facsimile - whether from lack of time or some other reason. Yah, a copy of the Islamic statement of faith isn't what I would choose for a sampler in a secular public school covering Islam. It's likely true to what Islam thinks of itself, but it's clearly going to draw criticism over how appropriate it is for 9th graders to be copying it, even in a script & language likely unknown to them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by james777
Where is the outrage? Why is this not reported in the US media?
I'm pretty sure that's the exact phrase you have to say to convert to Islam.
So yeah....that's a bit disturbing. I wouldn't be okay with anyone trying to trick others into converting to any religion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pennyone
Technically, Allah is God, the same deity that the Christians and the Jews worship and believe as the one true god.
Quote:
Originally Posted by james777
Technically BS!! allah IS NOT the God that Christians and Jews worship!!!!
I believe what the children are being asked to write is:
“Laillhailla Allahu.” in Arabic script.
It means There is
No God but Allah" or when used by Arabic speaking Christians and Jews it means there "No God but the one true God" Although us Muslims believe it is a specific name for God(swt) and contains all the known and unknown attributes of God(swt) Allah is also widely used by Arabic and Aramaic speaking Christians in the Mideast as the name of God(swt) Christian Bibles translated into Arabic or Aramaic have the Name Allah throughout them.
The Shahada which every Muslim must recite at least once with with knowledge, belief and sincerity is "“Ilaha Illa Allah Rasulu Allah ” which means "There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"
Every person who says that at least once in his lifetime with full knowledge ow what they mean, believes they are true and says them with the sincere desire to be a Muslim, is a Muslim, even if they do so privately with no witnesses.
while I agree it would be out of place to have children write the full shahada when they do not know or believe it's meaning. I think “Laillhailla Allahu.” is quite generic, it is not unique to Muslims, and applicable to all theists.
Technically BS!! allah IS NOT the God that Christians and Jews worship!!!!
Are you therefore saying that they worship a different God, which means there are at least two Gods, which invalidates the beliefs of all three religions?
Oh you Christians and Muslims are so entertaining when you criticize each other
Technically BS!! allah IS NOT the God that Christians and Jews worship!!!!
The Christian God & the Jewish God are two different religions & two different Gods. Hence the reason most of the Jewish people don't believe that Jesus was the chosen one.
Technically, Allah is God, the same deity that the Christians and the Jews worship and believe as the one true god.
I don't give a toss. No public school teacher should be trying to slyly convert kids to a religion.
I'm an atheist, and if I have kids, I will not be happy to hear of their teacher trying to get them to declare themselves as atheists.
It's not even my place to try to influence their own religious/spiritual beliefs. That is completely up to them and none of my business, much less anyone else's.
I believe what the children are being asked to write is:
“Laillhailla Allahu.” in Arabic script.
It means There is
No God but Allah" or when used by Arabic speaking Christians and Jews it means there "No God but the one true God" Although us Muslims believe it is a specific name for God(swt) and contains all the known and unknown attributes of God(swt) Allah is also widely used by Arabic and Aramaic speaking Christians in the Mideast as the name of God(swt) Christian Bibles translated into Arabic or Aramaic have the Name Allah throughout them.
The Shahada which every Muslim must recite at least once with with knowledge, belief and sincerity is "“Ilaha Illa Allah Rasulu Allah ” which means "There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"
...
If you follow the URL in the OP, it takes you to the Daily Mail article, which says, in part, in para 3, that the teacher had the students copy the shahada, which says "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah". There's also an image from the worksheet, showing the Arabic script & a student's effort @ copying the text.
i don't give a toss. No public school teacher should be trying to slyly convert kids to a religion.
I'm an atheist, and if i have kids, i will not be happy to hear of their teacher trying to get them to declare themselves as atheists.
It's not even my place to try to influence their own religious/spiritual beliefs. That is completely up to them and none of my business, much less anyone else's.
I don't give a toss. No public school teacher should be trying to slyly convert kids to a religion.
...
I don't think that was the intent, because merely copying (or attempting to copy) stylized Arabic script is not the same as making a declaration of faith. There are texts that would be less controversial, I'll grant you that. & Islam requires that the convert make the declaration in Arabic, orally, & typically in public.
No, teaching calligraphy wasn't the point of the exercise. It was to give students an appreciation for the script used to express the language. Nor did the teacher have control of the curriculum to be used, judging by the copy of the printed material in the URL.
Quote:
On Friday, during a lesson on world religions, including Islam, Riverheads High School teacher Cheryl LaPorte had students complete an assignment that involved practicing calligraphy and writing a Muslim statement of faith, also known as the shahada. The statement translates as: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." Students also were reportedly shown copies of the Quran.
There are myriad passages from the Quran that would have been a better choice.
I believe what the children are being asked to write is:
“Laillhailla Allahu.” in Arabic script.
It means There is
No God but Allah" or when used by Arabic speaking Christians and Jews it means there "No God but the one true God" Although us Muslims believe it is a specific name for God(swt) and contains all the known and unknown attributes of God(swt) Allah is also widely used by Arabic and Aramaic speaking Christians in the Mideast as the name of God(swt) Christian Bibles translated into Arabic or Aramaic have the Name Allah throughout them.
The Shahada which every Muslim must recite at least once with with knowledge, belief and sincerity is "“Ilaha Illa Allah Rasulu Allah ” which means "There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"
Every person who says that at least once in his lifetime with full knowledge ow what they mean, believes they are true and says them with the sincere desire to be a Muslim, is a Muslim, even if they do so privately with no witnesses.
while I agree it would be out of place to have children write the full shahada when they do not know or believe it's meaning. I think “Laillhailla Allahu.” is quite generic, it is not unique to Muslims, and applicable to all theists.
The article states that what the kids were asked to write does translate in to the following:
Quote:
The statement translates as: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."
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